Saturday, May 28, 2011

Grandma and Grandpa Bickmeier came to visit

Brian's folks were visiting earlier this week. I didn't take too many photos of them (none of his mom, actually), but here's a nice one of Philip and his Grandpa having a pleasant conversation.

Thanks for the visit, Don and Patsy! See you in a few weeks when you come back!

Our new icky addition

A few days ago, Brian and I were sitting in the living room with his visiting parents and Brian said, "Hey, check out that massive spider!"

I told Brian to kill it. Instead he captured it, bought an aquarium and some crickets, and is keeping it as a pet next to his dusty old toy jeep collection in the living room. (I don't agree with the jeeps in the living room either, but I guess it's better than having a jeep grill up in the living like we did in Alaska.) Marriage is all about compromising. Brian and I disagree on what the role of a spider should be in our house. Somehow 'Spidee' The Wolf Spider is a welcome member of the household. Ick. Ick. Ick.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Philip is one month old!

Philip is one month old! The time is passing so, so quickly. Goal for his second month- smiling (and more growing)...

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Brian's Graduation!

This past Saturday Brian went through Buena Vista University's graduation ceremony. Brian completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management the same week that Philip was born. It was a busy week and the last month has flown by! It was nice to have a day to focus on Brian's accomplishment. Not only were Brian's parents Don and Patsy able to attend, but Aunt Jean & Uncle Gary and Aunt Sharon & Uncle Chuck, and Brian's cousin Christie also made the drive over. It was so nice to have so much family support!


Brian waits before heading over to the chapel to line up for the march.

The day started out rainy, but cleared up by the afternoon. BV's main campus (in Storm Lake, IA), is beautiful, which made the day even better. Here is a photo of the the graduates lining up. Brian's pretty easy to pick up being the tallest of the group. See him?
Here's Brian entering the fieldhouse for the ceremony. Brian and I after the ceremony. As a BV faculty/staff member I also marched in the ceremony (hence my cap and gown). I am so proud of Brian! We didn't get a picture of everyone who came to support Brian, but here is Brian with his father Don (on Brian's left) and Uncle Gary (Don's younger brother). There's a lot of height in the Bickmeier family, as you can see. Standing next to his father and Uncle Brian appears to have normal height. After the ceremony everyone came back to our house for cake and conversation. Just as the cake says...Congratulations Brian! We're all so proud of you!

Naps with Dad

Brian said that Philip doesn't like napping with him because his chest is so muscular the baby isn't comfortable. Right, Brian, right..
.

Walk at Twin Lakes


We've been trying to get Philip out for walks as much as we can. Fresh air does everyone good, right? I think we will spend a lot of time at Twin Lakes this summer walking around the lake and enjoying the Iowa sunshine.Earlier this week it wasn't especially warm, so Philip had to be bundled up. We'll be looking forward to some time when he can be out and about without so many layers.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Stripes

Philip has decided that he loves stripes. This morning he was sporting cute striped jammies while hanging out with his dad.

His dad was sporting this silly expression. I think there's a resemblance, don't you?

Louise came to visit!

This past weekend Louise came to visit all the way from Denver. She and Ryan have twin boys who just turned 2, so she is all about taking care of little boys. Louise didn't spend much time snuggling with Philip, however, and got right down to cooking after she arrived.

She started by heading outside and harvesting some of our plentiful rhubarb. We now have rhubarb coffee cake in the freezer, along with a strawberry-rhubarb cobbler on the counter and additional bags of rhubarb ready for baking in the freezer. In addition, Louise took our GPS and headed to the grocery store to buy cooking supplies. By the time I got up from a nap, she had completed 3 lasagna, pans of macaroni and cheese, enchiladas, and chicken and rice dishes were going into the freezer. We have enough food to keep us full for many, many meals. We also have some fantastic toffee Louise made, just as a little extra. I'm not sure how long it will last because Brian's pretty smitten by it. So tasty! We did find some time to head to Rustix restaurant for big beers!It was a fast weekend, but so much was accomplished (by Louise).

THANKS FOR COMING, LOUISE!

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Eyes

Philip has been showing his eyes more and more. Here's a good picture of him awake. Hello handsome!

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Philip's First Walk

Philip said that he needed to get out of the house today. Brian and I thought some fresh air would do all of us good, so we headed down to our favorite pond for a short walk. The temperature was close to 70, but there was a cool breeze, so Philip stayed close to Brian in his little carrier. Halfway through the walk some dark clouds started to roll in and we started feeling some raindrops. It was a quick walk back to the car. I was very excited to fit back into my walking shoes and yoga pants and to have some of my energy back. And apparently the rain and cool breeze didn't bother Philip. He was asleep by the time we got back to the car.

Monday, May 2, 2011

Brian is DONE!

A big congratulations to Brian who handed in his final assignment to complete his Bachelors degree in Business Management! Graduation is on May 21st.

So, it has been a busy week here in the Iowa Bickmeier house- a new baby boy and a business degree.

Well done, Brian!

Life is good

Philip is a week old today! So far he's enjoying life except for the changing of diapers, hiccups, and baths. Life is good!